What Are the Phases of Trauma Recovery?

Traumatic experiences can have long-lasting impacts. Trauma results from exposure to an incident or series of incidents that can be distressing, frightening, or stressful. Whether it be from a crime, an accident, or abuse, the result of trauma can affect a person’s ability to cope.

Trauma recovery is the process of helping individuals gain freedom from the negative and debilitating effects of their trauma. It typically aims to reduce symptoms, improve resilience and regain a sense of safety and control.

Overcoming trauma does not happen overnight — it will involve guided progression of different phases with the help of a professional psychologist or therapist.

How trauma can impact your life

The effects of trauma are varied and complex. For those who have been through emotional and psychological trauma, or been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or other trauma-related disorders, it is extremely common for symptoms to present as shock, denial, confusion, difficulty concentrating, high levels of anxiety, irritability, mood swings, or feeling fearful.

Traumatic experiences can result in avoidance, intrusive memories, negative emotions, changes in behaviour, and loss of hope for the future. Trauma can develop into PTSD, depression, dissociation, adjustment disorders, acute stress disorder, feelings of guilt or shame, and in some cases, suicidal thoughts.

When we think of trauma or PTSD, we often think of what’s presented in the media – those who have been to war or have experienced physical conflict in the military. And while this is a very real cause of trauma disorders, trauma is also commonly caused by a repeated or one-off experience involving serious accidents, sexual assault, domestic violence, natural disasters, abuse, physical assault, or childhood neglect,adverse childhood experiences (such as household dysfunction, parental substance abuse, or incarceration), medical trauma (such as life-threatening illnesses or invasive procedures), bullying, workplace harassment, witnessing violence, grief from sudden or traumatic loss, or systemic oppression and discrimination.

There are no rules on what can or cannot cause trauma – it is by definition an emotional response to an event that has affected a person in a negative way. However, regardless of the cause, it is possible for trauma to be successfully managed – each journey is different, but the phases (or stages) of trauma recovery can be categorised to provide a structured path towards healing.

The phases of trauma recovery

There are different frameworks across trauma recovery in the field of psychology — some work within three phases, while others work through a gradual progression of four to five phases.

Each of the trauma recovery frameworks will build on general concepts which may be applied differently — in other words, they all share common phases that outline how trauma recovery is best worked through.

We’ve condensed the most commonly practiced and most effective frameworks below, to give a more accessible guide to the phases of trauma recovery.

Phase 1: Stabilisation

Stabilisation is the process of regaining a sense of control and safety in your life. Well after the traumatic event, it is still possible to feel ‘aftershocks’ when you are reminded of the experience, particularly through certain triggers. The goal of this phase is to work through strategies to stay grounded and feel safe from the negative experience. These strategies may include:

Mindfulness practices such as deep breathing and meditation to calm your nervous system and reduce the intensity of intrusive thoughts or emotions
Psychoeducation to help you understand trauma and its effects, empowering you to recognise and manage symptoms
Physical therapy such as massages and acupuncture to release tension stored in your body and promote relaxation
Spiritual or cultural practices that are relevant to your beliefs to foster comfort, identity and balance
Establishing a support system (e.g., friends, family, professionals) to help increase feelings of safety and reduce isolation

Phase 2: Identification and acknowledgement

It is common for people to block out their trauma and be stuck in a stage of denial. The journey towards overcoming and recovering from trauma will involve creating a narrative of the trauma, which will help you process and make sense of your experiences. This includes breaking down the event(s) to understand what has happened, and acknowledging that it did indeed happen.

During this phase, a psychologist will work to detach the traumatic experience itself from the negative feelings and thoughts caused by it — to encourage coming to terms with the facts of the trauma and start processing it in a healthy and productive way. As this phase can evoke strong emotions and progress can be non-linear, it is important to have patience and professional support.

This phase is reflected in the ‘rumination’ stage of the Extended Transformational Model, or the ‘remembrance’ phase of the Trauma and Recovery framework expanded on by Dr. Judith Herman.

Phase 3: Integration with self

As difficult as it seems, there will be a turning point after acknowledging and processing the trauma, where it can become a part of the healing process. Our sense of self is made up of positive and negative experiences, and the recovery process will only continue when you decide to accept trauma as part of your life story.

Integration involves shifting your relationship with the trauma, recontextualising its role in your life. This does not mean that you have to be okay with what happened or erase the trauma completely — the goal is to be able to acknowledge it without letting it dominate your emotions or identity.

When you are able to accept trauma as part of your life story without being overwhelmed by it, it builds resilience and fosters post-traumatic growth, which includes finding meaning or personal strength after the trauma.

Phase 4: Reconnection

The final frontier of trauma recovery is reconnection – this includes reconnecting relationships or personal interests that have been broken off as a result of the trauma. Reconnection is important for recovering engagement with family and friends, but is also applied to activities, work, your sense of purpose and values, and general life aspects that you have avoided since the traumatic experience.

How long will each phase of trauma recovery take?

Time should not be a limiting factor for the healing process from trauma — different people with different types of trauma will each have a unique journey to take towards trauma recovery.

While there is no exact timeline for each phase, research shows that the initial phase of stabilisation (feeling safe) often takes the most time — individuals who do not have the support of a psychologist to help them understand their trauma may find themselves stuck at this phase. By seeking professional help, affected individuals can gain an external perspective from an experienced trauma counsellor to guide their recovery and avoid getting stuck in regressive cycles.

When it comes to working through the phases of trauma recovery, growth is not always linear. You may progress from one phase to another and later on, find yourself needing to return to a previous phase. This is a normal part of the process of recovery, as some forms of trauma are multifaceted and can only be uncovered in layers.

Types of therapy used in trauma recovery

Trauma recovery is best addressed by therapy methods that address both the symptoms and the root cause of the trauma. When partnering with a psychologist or therapist, they may apply one or more of the following types of trauma-informed therapy treatments.

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) – works by identifying and reshaping negative beliefs and thoughts that stem from traumatic experiences; helps individuals develop coping skills and align thoughts with long-term goals, leading to more positive living.
Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) – includes the use of guided side-to-side rhythmic movements of the eyes, along with focusing on the traumatic memories to reprocess and integrate these memories to reduce their emotional impact.
Somatic therapy – therapists help individuals gain greater awareness of their bodily sensations linked to trauma and release stored tension to help process emotions and regain a sense of safety within their bodies
Prolonged exposure therapy – a form of exposure therapy that involves controlled and repeated exposure to the source of fear or trauma to gradually desensitise emotional triggers, reduce its negative impact and regain control of one’s life.

Each therapy is tailored to the individual, and recovery often involves combining techniques to best address each person’s specific trauma and its effects.

Supporting loved ones through trauma

It can be difficult to know how to help a loved one who is struggling with the fallout of a traumatic experience. While you may not be able to provide professional mental health support, there are ways to offer support through the trauma recovery journey.

Active listening — Allow your loved one to share their thoughts and focus on active listening, without trying to provide a fix. Listening without judgement or pressure to make a change gives them an outlet to release their negative emotions.

Help with practical tasks — Dealing with trauma can take up a lot of mental space, which can make day to day tasks like household chores and personal care more difficult or forgotten. You may help them with meals, running errands or accompanying them to their appointments to support them with their daily functioning.

Be available — Make time to be emotionally and physically present when your loved ones need support. Simply being around and holding space for them can offer a sense of comfort when they are feeling the impact of a traumatic trigger.

Encourage professional help — Provide gentle suggestions to see a psychologist or therapist for trauma recovery. Be careful not to apply pressure — this is a decision that they should make for themselves. You may help them research trauma psychologists or offer resources to make this step feel less overwhelming for them.

New Vision Psychology offers professional trauma counselling

At New Vision Psychology, we have a team of highly qualified psychologists with extensive expertise in treating trauma and trauma-related disorders. Whether you’re dealing with recent trauma or longstanding effects from past experiences, our trauma counselling services are tailored to meet the unique needs of each individual, focusing on creating a safe and supportive environment for recovery.